


Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

by ohheykat



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: F/F, TW: Homophobia, tw: child abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 21:50:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20365648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohheykat/pseuds/ohheykat
Summary: The last day of school has come and gone, so how will the kids react when they realize they’re all going their separate ways?





	Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

_ Congratulations! _

_ Today is your day. _

_ You're off to Great Places! _

_ You're off and away! _

“‘Lys,” Emma calls from her truck. “What on earth are you wearing?”

“It’s important!” the brunette responds as she climbs into the front seat, readjusting the giant bow in her hair. “Shelby and I are recreating our first day of pre-k picture! I spent three weeks remaking this thing!”

“Oh that’s what that is,” she laughs a little, putting her truck back into drive as Alyssa buckles up. “I thought you were making another cosplay costume.”

“No,” Alyssa rolls her eyes. “I finished my Eleanor costume weeks ago.”

“You know I can’t keep up with that stuff.”

“I know, but I love that you try.”

They pull into the school parking lot, right next to Kaylee and Shelby. Kaylee rolls her window down at the same time Emma does, and she can clearly see the ridiculous outfit that Shelby’s wearing. “Y’all look like your five,” Kaylee laughs.

“That’s the point!” Shelby playfully hits her arm. “Look how cute we were.”

“You were adorable… what happened?”   
Shelby gasps, and Kaylee laughs as she pouts. “I’m kidding baby, you look absolutely precious.”

After pecking her lips, both of the girls decide to get out of the car, along with Emma and Alyssa. The front entrance is clogged with what feels like thousands of students trying to take last day pictures, and Kaylee isn’t ashamed to say that she shoved a few freshmen out of the way to get a good spot for her best friends. Emma pulls up the original picture on Alyssa’s phone while Kaylee got her camera ready and Alyssa and Shelby try to pose correctly. Once the picture is taken, the girls can hear the warning bell ringing in their ears. “I’ll see you after our exams,” Alyssa pecks Emma’s lips. “Lunch at Betsy’s?”   
“Of course.”

_ You have brains in your head. _

_ You have feet in your shoes. _

_ You can steer yourself  _

_ any direction you choose. _

“That was hell,” Greg says as he and Emma walk outside of the classroom where they had taken their exam. “But at least it’s fucking over. Are we going back to Gram’s for lunch?”

“Yeah, is Kevin out yet or do you need a ride?”

“Nah, he already texted me he’s in the parking lot.”   
“Okay, ‘Lys is waiting for me so I’ll see you at home.”

_ Home _ . It was a strange word for Emma because she really never knew what it meant. When she was younger, home had meant the house she lived in, where her mom and dad would be to tuck her in. As she grew up, the definition changed. Home was with her grandmother, but soon that wouldn’t be her home either. Would she consider her dorm home? She didn’t know.

“Hey baby,” Alyssa smiles tiredly as Emma takes her into her arms. “If we have kids remind me to not let them take AP calculus.”

Emma chuckles as she helps her into the truck. “Well, the good news is it’s over now, and you get to go eat my grandma’s amazing cooking.”

“Have I mentioned that your grandmother is a saint lately?”

“I believe so,” Emma laughs as she climbs in. “Where are Kaylee and Shelby?”

“Probably making out in the locker rooms one last time.”

“‘Lys!”

“What? You know they are!”

“Okay, well, they can meet us there,” Emma puts her car in reverse and they start their drive back to Betsy’s.

As they pull into her grandmother’s driveway, Emma takes a second to breathe before she gets out of her truck. She looks up at Alyssa, who is staring at her with so much love that she’s almost taken aback for a second. “You ready?”   
“I guess so,” she sighs, and finally they hop out of the truck. “Hey ‘Lys?”   
“Yeah?” Alyssa walks towards her side of the truck. 

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” Alyssa leans in to kiss her.

“Get a room you two!” they both jump as they hear Kevin yell from his truck.

“Fuck you!” Alyssa laughs, walking towards the boys. “Where’s Nick?”   
“Back here!” he yells from the backseat, rolling down his window. “Had to take one last carpool with the boys. Where are-”

Before he can finish his sentence, Shelby and Kaylee pull into the driveway. They all decide to go inside, where Betsy has already set up their long dining table with plates and cups. “Gram, you didn’t need to do all of this,” Greg smiles as he pulls his grandmother in for a hug. 

“You know I had to go all out for your last last day lunch,” she smiles warmly, pulling Emma into her other side. “Now, you two go have fun.”

Both of her grandkids smile at her before sitting down at the table with the rest of their friends.

_ You're on your own.  _

_ And you know what you know. _

_ And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. _

“So, what happens after today?” Shelby asks suddenly as they’re eating. “Where do we go from here?”

“I… I don’t know,” Nick responds. “Where do we go when it’s over?”

“New York,” Emma responds, smiling softly. “At least that’s where I’m going.”

“I’m so proud of you,” Alyssa grins, leaning her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder. “And I’ll be out at Stanford.”

“How are you two gonna survive?” Nick asks, and Kevin elbows him in the ribs. “What? It’s a legitimate question!”

“We’ll make it,” Emma promises. “We already have a system ready. I’m gonna write the most epic love letters.”   
“And we have FaceTime dates.”   
“Right,” the blond pulls her girlfriend close to her. “What about you Nick?”

“Notre Dame,” he smiles wide. “I got a scholarship to play football.”   
“Hell yeah!” Kevin high-fives his best friend. “I’ll be right there with you, but not for football. I’m going to get a degree in design.”

“I think you’ll be great at that,” Greg smiles. “I’m taking off to Julliard, but don’t tell Trent yet, I really want to surprise him.”

“Oh God,” Emma playfully groans. “He’s never gonna shut up about that.”   
“Me and Kay are going to Indiana State. I want to get a business degree, and she wants to be a teacher.”

“We’re gonna be roommates!” Kaylee squeals, wrapping her arms around Shelby’s shoulder before planting a kiss on her cheek. “It’s gonna be the best four years of our lives.”

“So this is really it, huh?” Kevin smiles softly. “The end of an era.”

“It’s not like we’re packing up and leaving tomorrow,” Alyssa shakes her head, burying her face in Emma’s shoulder. “We still have a week until graduation, and then we still have the whole summer.”

“Besides, even once we leave we’re still gonna be friends,” Emma smiles, kissing the top of her girlfriend’s head. “This isn’t goodbye, and it never will be. This is just a ‘see you later.’”

“I like that,” Shelby smiles as her phone buzzes. “Speaking of which, my dad needs me to go home. See you guys later.”

_ You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care. _

_ About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there." _

_ With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,  _

_ you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street. _

As Kaylee and Shelby climb into the car, Shelby can tell that Kaylee is beginning to get upset. “Can I stay with you tonight?” Kaylee asks, her voice much quieter in comparison to the excitement that had been in it earlier. 

“Baby, don’t you think your parents want you at home? You’re gonna be with me every night pretty soon.”

“Please,” her voice is terrified, and Shelby makes a mental note of that. 

“Okay,” she takes one hand off of the wheel and grabs her girlfriend’s hand. “Is something going on?” 

“I don’t want to go home,” she whispers, voice shaking and tears now leaking from her eyes. “Please don’t make me go back.”

Shelby’s grip on her hand tightens as anger builds up in her chest. “I’ll take care of you. You don’t have to go there.”

“Ever?”

“Ever,” Shelby promises, and she doesn’t know how on earth she would accomplish that goal, but she knew she had to.

_ It's opener there _

_ in the wide open air. _

“Hey dad!” Shelby greets her father with a hug as they walk through the door. “We’re home!”   
_ Home _ . There was that word again. Emma couldn’t find a meaning for it, and neither could Kaylee. If home were her house, then home meant getting hit every time she made a simple mistake. Home meant that if she spoke out of turn she would be punished. Home meant watching her parents fight every single night.

“Kaylee, honey, I’m making chicken tacos for dinner, I hope that’s okay.”

“That sounds great Mr. G,” she smiles at him. 

Maybe home didn’t have to be a place, maybe home could be the people surrounding you. Maybe home meant the warm meals cooked on the stove and the feeling of your girlfriend’s hand slipping into yours during dinner. 

_ Out there things can happen _

_ and frequently do _

_ to people as brainy _

_ and footsy as you. _

“Alyssa, baby, you’re making me dizzy,” Emma says as she watches her girlfriend pace around her bedroom. “I promise, whatever you write is going to be absolutely amazing.”

“I’m gonna embarass myself in front of the entire senior class,” she shakes her head, continuing her pacing.

“Baby, baby,” the blonde stands up, stopping her girlfriend in her tracks as she puts her hands on her shoulders. “Take a deep breath for me.”

Alyssa takes in a deep breath, before her girlfriend pulls her into her arms for a hug. “Can you read to me?” she asks suddenly, pulling away to look up at her. “It always makes me feel better.”

“Of course I can,” Emma smiles softly, planting a kiss on the top of her head. “What should I read?”

“This,” the brunette pulls a book off of her bookshelf. “My dad used to read it to me whenever I was feeling bad.”

“I love this book,” Emma smiles softly as she climbs into bed with her girlfriend. “Gram used to read it to me all the time.”

Alyssa lays her head in her lap, and Emma plays with her hair as she opens the book. “Oh the places you’ll go…”   


_ And then things start to happen, _

_ don't worry. Don't stew. _

_ Just go right along. _

_ You'll start happening too _

“What the fuck?” Emma almost spits out her cereal while reading through her emails the morning two days before graduation. 

“Language,” Betsy warns, grabbing her plate and Barry’s. “Barry, honey, did you get enough to eat?”   
“Everything was wonderful Ms. Nolan.”

“We’ve talked about this,” she shakes her head. “You know you can call me Mom.”

“It was amazing, Mom,” he smiles, and Emma can’t help but smile too.

“Emma what the hell was that reaction for though?” Greg finally speaks up, mouth full of Lucky Charms.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Betsy scolds. “Barry, I’m sorry, they’re usually so well-behaved.”

“We aren’t five, Gram,” Greg mumbles.

“You might as well be with that attitude.”

Emma laughs, but immediately stops when Betsy shoots a glare her way. “Anyways, it was just an email from some producer about auditioning for some off Broadway thing-”

“It was a what?” Barry shoots up from his seat. “Who was it? Are you going to go? Was it-”

“Dad chill.”

“Emma, I’m just trying to- what did you just call me?”

“I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-”

“Please don’t apologize,” he smiles happily. “Emma, do you really think of me like that?”

“Well yeah,” she says, smiling back at him. “You’ve been here more than my real one has.”

Barry looks as if he might burst from joy, and he pulls the young girl in for a hug. Emma hugs him tightly, and as he pulls back he grins at her. “You’re the best daughter I’ve ever had,” he says softly, ruffling her blonde waves. “Now, about this audition.”   
“Right, it’s some off Broadway play that’s still in the lab. It’s a supporting role, and there are a lot of other girls going out for it so I don’t even know if I’ll get it.”

“You’ll get it, I believe in you.”

“Me too!” Greg grins at his cousin, who he more considered his sister at this point.

“Me three,” Betsy pulls her son, grandson, and granddaughter into a tight group hug. “The Nolans are coming for you, theater world!”

_ OH! _

_ THE PLACES YOU'LL GO! _

_ You'll be on your way up! _

_ You'll be seeing great sights! _

_ You'll join the high fliers _

_ who soar to high heights. _

“What’s wrong?” Barry asks, watching as his daughter mumbles to herself from the couch, her hands shaking at her side. 

“What if I don’t get the part?” she blurts out. “What if I’m not good enough? I’ve never even been in a school drama course before because we didn’t have one until two months ago.”

“Emma,” he puts his hands on her shoulders, steadying her so that she has to look at him. “You are going to be wonderful. You may not have had school training, but you’ve been taking classes at the art center for years. You’re wonderful!”   
“You mean that?”

“I would never lie to you.”   
“Thanks… dad.”

“Of course, now, let’s start preparing for that audition. You’re going to be Dee Dee Allen levels of perfection by the time I’m done with you.”

Emma chuckles a little. “I’m actually excited now.”

“Does that mean I’m doing a good job as a father?”

She pulls him in for the biggest bear hug she can imagine. “Yes, yes it does,” as she pulls away she sees the tears stinging at his eyes, and immediately her smile falls into a frown. “Hey, hey what’s wrong?”

“I just want to be the best father I can be for you,” he sniffles.

“You are,” she promises, hugging him once more. “You are the best dad in the entire world. You’re the one who stuck around.”

“I’ll always be around,” he says softly as she leans her head on his shoulder. “I’m never going to leave you, Emma Nolan. You’re my daughter.”

“Thank you,” and now they’re both crying, and they can’t help but laugh at themselves. 

“Now, about this audition…”   
  


_ You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed. _

_ You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead. _

_ Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best. _

_ Wherever you go, you will top all the rest. _

“You alright?” Emma asks her cousin as he begins biting his nails while sitting with his laptop.

“Yeah,” he shakes his hand, seeming to snap himself out of it. “Yeah, I just got an email about auditions for a program at school.”

“You gonna go out for it?”

“I want to,” he sighs, going back to staring at his laptop. “But there’s no way I’m good enough for it.”

“Greg,” Emma shakes her head at him. “You’re good enogh for any part you want.”

“Easy for you to say,” he rolls his eyes. “You got an off Broadway audition, and you aren’t even in New York yet! Do you know how fucking lucky you are?”

“Yeah I know I’m lucky,” she mumbles. “But so are you, obvioiusly they want you if they’re asking you to go out for this!”

“You don’t get it!” he stands up, and for a brief second Emma’s life flashes before her eyes as she sees her uncle instead of her cousin. Greg realizes why she’s frozen a second later, and his anger immediately melts into guilt. “I- I need to go. Love you.”   
She can’t get a word out before he’s out of the door. Normally when he felt like this he would find himself driving to Kevin’s house, but instead he turns the opposite direction. He doesn’t want his boyfriend to see him life this, he wouldn’t understand. After a few minutes of driving straight ahead with no real destination, he finally pulls into the parking lot of the 24 Mart. For some reason a slushee sounded really good.

“What’re you doing here kid?” he looks up from putting his lid on his slushee to see Trent looking at him. “I figured you’d be at home right now. Betsy said you’ve been a homebody ever since you got out of school.”

“I just needed to clear my head,” Greg mumbles, sticking a straw into his lid. “What are you doing here?”

“I was actually going to pick up slushies for you guys,” he laughs a little. “Here, give me that, I’ll pay for it.”

“You don’t have to-”

“I insist,” he grabs the cup from the teenager before putting it in the holder he had gotten. “Do you need a ride home or anything?”

“Nah, I have my truck,” he shakes his head. “Besides, it would be too risky to leave it here if I rode back with you.”   
“I can take it back!” he hears a voice pop up from one of the aisles, and he sees Sheldon emerge from it. “We rode up together. I can drive it back if you want me too, I’m sure there’s a lot that you guys want to catch up on.”

Greg debates it in his head for a second before agreeing, then follows Trent out to his car in the parking lot. As he climbs into the shotgun seat, he can’t help the tears stinging at his eyes. “Trent,” he starts, his voice breaking a little bit. “Have you ever felt so much pressure to be something amazing? And you don’t know how the hell you’re supposed to be that? And you’re terrified that you’re never going to be able to live up to their expectations?”   
“Where is all of this coming from?” Trent glances at him as he pulls out of the parking space. “I thought you were all excited about going to college.”

“I was, but then I got this stupid audition email from student services and now I’m second guessing everything.”

“Oh G, that’s not a big deal. Most colleges don’t even have that developed of an art program, you’re going to be fine. Where are you going again?”

“Julliard.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were going to Juliard? I could have helped you with stuff like this. I know what it’s like to go there, and I know all the expectations that come with it. It can be hard, but you know you’ve always got someone to turn to when things get rough.”

“You mean that?”

“Greg, of course,” Trent turns slightly to smile at him. “You’re… well you’re like a son to me.”

“You can’t say that,” his voice cracks again, and when Trent looks over he sees the tears pouring down his face. “You can’t just say that and leave.”   
“I’m not going anywhere,” they pull into the Nolan’s driveway, and he finally has a chance to look Greg in the eyes. “Greg, I can’t promise you that life will get easier, or that all of your dreams will come true, or any of that. What I can promise you is that I’m always going to be here. You deserve everything you want in life, and I’ll do everything in my power to help you get there.”

“You aren’t going to leave?” he sniffles, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. 

“No, you’re stuck with me,” Trent smiles softly, and the teenager can’t help but smile back. “Now, let’s get inside before your grandmother files a missing person report.”

Greg laughs as they climb out of the truck and walk inside, and they’re immediately greeted by Emma with a hug. “I was worried,” she whispers to Greg as she gets to him, and he holds her tightly. 

“Sorry, just needed to clear my head,” he pulls back and smiles at her. “I’m okay now.”

“I’m just glad you’re home.”

_ Home _ . Greg had been through many homes. What did it mean to him? Was it his cousin always there to listen whenever he had problems? Was it the bed that Betsy had made up just for him the day he came out because she just  _ knew _ ? Was it the hug his grandmother and cousin now enveloped him in? What was home?

_ Except when you don't. _

_ Because, sometimes, you won't. _

_ I'm sorry to say so _

_ but, sadly, it's true _

_ that Bang-ups _

_ and Hang-ups _

_ can happen to you. _

“Hey honey,” Dee Dee knocks on Emma’s doorframe before entering the room. “Are you feeling okay? Barry said you wanted to lay down for a little bit.”   
It was a day before graduation, and everything in Emma’s life had come to a screeching halt. A panic attack right after breakfast had left her paralyzed in fear, so much so that when Dee Dee had arrived a few minutes later she hadn’t even gotten up to greet her. “I’m sorry I didn’t say hi,” she says, her voice so soft that the Broadway star barely catches it. “I just got really overwhelmed.”

“That’s alright,” she walks towards her. “Okay if I sit?”

Emma nods, so she sits on the edge of the bed, reaching her hand out to play with the blonde’s hair. The young girl reaches up to grab her hand, and Dee Dee can’t help but smile at her. “Something wrong hon?”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” she helps Emma as she struggles to sit up. 

“Do the auditions ever get less nerve-wracking?”

Dee Dee sighs, thinking over her words carefully. “They do and they don’t,” she rubs her back, trying to calm the younger girl down a little. “What you’re feeling now won’t happen again, not until your first Broadway audition of course. Right now these are just first time nerves. But, I won’t tell you the nerves ever end, they’re always kind of there.”

“What if I’m not good enough for this?” she asks, and the older woman’s heart breaks as she sees the tears well up in her eyes again.

“Then you find a new role to try. Sometimes your first audition just isn’t the role for you, but you can’t give up just because of that. Trust me, if I had based my career around my first audition I never would have been an actress.”

“What happened at your first audition?”

“It was a disaster,” Dee Dee laughs. “I forgot all of my lines, the song I chose wasn’t in my range, and the director told me that he hated my outfit. Everything that could go wrong, did.”

“But you’re Dee Dee Allen!” Emma gasps, eyes widening as the actress laughs.

“Not back then I wasn’t,” she shakes her head. “Back then I was just a girl fresh out of high school, with nothing on her resume but the two productions she had been in at her school.”

“How did you deal with it?”

“I didn’t,” she states simply. “I went back to my dorm room and cried for days about it, even my best friend couldn’t console me. But then…”

“Then?”

“Then,” she smiles. “I got back up. I sent my resume to every director I could get in contact with. I went to every open audition that I saw a sign for. Eventually I found the role for me, and so will you my sweet little lesbian.”

Emma smiles at the nickname, and Dee Dee carefully wipes the tears from her cheeks. “Thank you,” she whispers, and immediately she is enveloped in a hug.

“You don’t ever need to thank me,” she says softly, rubbing her back. “And just think, in a couple weeks I’ll be right in town if you need me.”

“You mean it?”

“I promise.”

_ You can get all hung up _

_ in a prickle-ly perch. _

_ And your gang will fly on. _

_ You'll be left in a Lurch. _

“You sure you want me to go?” Shelby asks for the fifteenth time that night. “Because I’ll totally stay with you if you want me too.”

“I said go,” Kaylee shakes her head, pulling in Shelby to kiss her one last time. “Just because one of us isn’t feeling up to party doesn’t mean the other has to stay back.”

“But I don’t want you to be all alone,” the darker girl pouts, planting another kiss on Kaylee’s forehead.

“Stop doing that,” she pulls away, rolling her eyes. “I told you, I’m not sick, I just don’t feel like going out right now. You can stop checking for a fever that doesn’t exist.”

“Just making sure,” she grabs her phone off of the table. “I’ll be back before midnight okay? There’s leftovers in the fridge, and I bought Powerade just for you last week.”

“You’re the best,” Kaylee curls up on the couch, grabbing the remote to flip through her options on Netflix. “I’ll probably be asleep when you get home, but you can wake me up.”

Shelby smiles at her a little, grabbing a throw blanket and covering her girlfriend with it. She kisses the top of her head, and Kaylee smiles as she ruffles her hair gently. “My phone will be on the whole night and is fully charged, so just shoot me a text if you need anything.”

Kaylee nods, and her girlfriend can already see her beginning to drift off. She sneaks out the door without another word, closing it softly behind her. The younger girl lets sleep overtake her nearly as soon as her girlfriend is gone, and for a little while everything is peaceful.

Then her dreams turn sour.

She sees her parents screaming at each other at her graduation. She swears that she can smell the alcohol on her dad’s breath, and she can feel the way his hand connects with her face. 

Sitting upright, she can barely see anything because the entire room is dark. Shelby must have hit the lights before she left. Kaylee reaches around blindly for her phone, and the tears start pouring down her face as her hand brushes over metal. It’s as if her body’s moving on autopilot as she hits her girlfriend’s contact, and it nearly rings all the way through before she gets an answer. “Kay?”

“I need you,” she can barely get the words out of her mouth before she begins to hyperventilate.

“Okay baby, okay,” her voice is soothing and instantly she begins to feel better. “I’m getting in my car right now. Do you want me to stay on the phone until I get there?”

“Uh huh,” she hiccups. 

“Okay baby,” Kaylee can hear the car crank up in the background. “Tell me what’s going on, can you see anything right now?”

“The lights are off,” she sniffles.

“Okay, focus on my voice. I’m gonna tell you a story that Emma told me today. I’m going to be home soon I promise, okay?”   
_ Home _ . Was this Kaylee’s home? The house she was currently in? She had never lived here, except for the occasional weekends and this past week, but it felt more like her home than her own house ever had. It didn’t make sense to her. Her house was so similar to Shelby’s, yet this one felt more like home.

“Okay,” she whispers into the phone. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

_ You'll come down from the Lurch _

_ with an unpleasant bump. _

_ And the chances are, then, _

_ that you'll be in a Slump. _

“Can I talk to you about something?” Greg’s voice makes Emma look up from the book she’s reading on the couch.

“Yeah, what’s up?” she asks, putting her bookmark in before closing it.

“How are you dealing with the fact that your parents aren’t coming to graduation? Because I thought I would be okay, but now it’s tomorrow and I don’t know. I wish they were coming.”   
“I… I honestly have been avoiding thinking about it,” she sighs. “It’s like I know that what they’ve done to me is horrible, but then I think about all of the other kids getting to take pictures with their parents. I don’t know, I guess I’m more jealous than anything else.”   
“That makes sense,” he sighs, and Emma can see that he’s trying not to cry again. “It’s not that I miss them, not the real them at least. But I think I miss all of the things I keep telling myself used to happen. I miss when they used to tuck me in when I was little, or the way that Mom used to sing while she was cooking, or how Dad used to tell me that he was proud of me for going out for football.”

“I miss those things too,” she whispers, and suddenly she’s standing and enveloping him in a hug. “I really wish that I could tell you that I’m totally okay right now, but I’m not.”

“I’m not okay either,” he sniffles, and he finally lets the tears fall down his face. “Are we supposed to be okay with this?”

“Why does it matter what we’re supposed to be?” Emma shakes her head. “We’re not, and that’s all that matters. But we have each other, right?”

“Yeah, we do,” he chokes up a little bit, and Emma pulls him close to her again. “Promise I’m always gonna have you when this shit hits?”   
“I promise,” she smiles softly. “You’re my best friend. Hell, you’re my brother.”

“You’re my sister,” he smiles too. “And even if we’re at different schools, we’re still gonna be close enough to see each other all the time. We’ll always have each other.”

“You’re right,” she begins to cry now, and Greg tightens his hug.

The world wasn’t perfect, and they weren’t okay, but they had each other. In that moment, that’s all they needed.

_ And when you're in a Slump, _

_ you're not in for much fun. _

_ Un-slumping yourself _

_ is not easily done _

“Hey.”

Shelby thought she had been sitting by herself on the porch, but apparently she was wrong. When she looks up she sees Alyssa, who’s smiling although she looks sad. “Hey,” Shelby responds, motioning towards the empty space next to her. “Want to sit?”

“I’d like that, yeah,” she sits down next to her. “What are you doing out here all by yourself?”

“Dad’s making dinner, and Kaylee wanted to help him so I thought I’d come think for a little while. What are you doing here?”   
“I didn’t mean to interrupt your thinking, but I was struggling with some stuff. You’re kind of the only one who would understand it.”

“Dead parent stuff?”

“Yeah,” Alyssa chuckles a little, glad that they could be so blunt about their feelings now. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m trying to be strong,” she sighs. “Kaylee’s been a wreck since the day we got out, and I’m trying to take care of her. I don’t want her to see me upset, ‘cause then she’s going to get upset and it’ll be a mess.”

“I feel that, that’s kind of how I’ve been with Emma,” she shakes her head. “I don’t like talking about Dad to Emma. She tries to understand, but she doesn’t, and usually it just kind of ends in disaster.”

“When I talk about Mom Kaylee just cries. She doesn’t deal well with the idea of losing people, even though she never met my mom.”

“Do you remember those meetings we used to go to when we were little?” Alyssa asks suddenly. “The ones where we met?”

“Yeah, I do. You had been there for almost a year when I got there. You helped me through that time so much.”

“I was alone when Dad died. I didn’t have any friends, and Mom completely shut down in denial. I didn’t want anyone to feel the way I did, so when you got there I made sure that you were never alone.”

Shelby puts her arm around the younger girl, and Alyssa rests her head on her shoulder. “I remember they would give us Oreos if we told them how we were really feeling. They didn’t want to hear the ‘I’m fine’ that everyone else heard. They wanted the truth,” Shelby chuckles. “Do you remember my first day?”

“Of course I do,” Alyssa smiles softly. “You showed up in a dress that didn’t fit, and your hair was out of control. You cried a lot.”

“Dad was still in shock,” she sighs, remembering her seven-year-old self clearly. “Even though we had known for a long time that she wasn’t going to make it, it still took him for surprise. It had only been a month, and he really hadn’t mastered the whole ‘single dad’ thing yet.”

“You’d never know that now,” Alyssa sits up so she can look into her eyes. “When you look at him now he seems like he’s been doing this forever, like he was never a newbie at it.”

“Yeah,” Shelby smiles softly. “Your mom did a pretty good job too. Besides the whole gay thing, she was a really great parent.”

“She was,” the younger girl smiles back at her. “And she’s getting better about the gay thing. We’ve been talking about it a lot more, and I think she’s finally starting to realize just how much Emma means to me.”

“Good, now, let’s talk about graduation.”

“I just wish he was gonna be here,” Alyssa can’t help the tears that are pooling in her eyes now. “I know Mom says that he would be proud of me if he were, but I wish he was here to tell me that himself.”

“Me too,” they’re both crying now. “I miss Mom so much, and Dad says I’m just like her. I just wish she was here to tell me all about the ways that we’re the same. She was the salutatorian of her class too.”

“Dad was the val,” Alyssa chuckles. “I guess we carry on their legacy.”

“And we’ll continue to until the day we die,” Shelby gets up, and she reaches her hand out to help Alyssa. “You’re welcome to stay if you want. Dad’s making chicken pot pie, and you know it’s pretty damn amazing.”

Alyssa smiles. “I’d like that.”

“One last dinner for the dead parents club?” Shelby links their arms together.

“One last time,” she smiles, and they walk in the door with weights lifted off of their chests.

_ You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. _

_ Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked. _

_ A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! _

_ Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? _

_ How much can you lose? How much can you win? _

“Hey,” Kevin slides onto the couch, putting his arm behind his boyfriend. “What’s wrong?”

“The people who emailed me wanted a video this morning, and I can’t choose which one I want to send in. I have a video that I prepared earlier, but then I second guessed myself last night and made a second one. It’s a little riskier, I guess.”

“Can I see?” 

“Yeah, sure,” he hands him the laptop, before snuggling close to his chest.

After Kevin has watched both options, he finds himself gravitating towards the one that he knew was more recent. “You really like that one?” Greg questions, and he sees his boyfriend nod. “It was so different from what I did the first time.”

“It’s more you,” he states simply. “You sound more authentic.”   
“If I attach it will you send it?” he looks up, and Kevin nods.

Once he’s attached the email, he hands the laptop back to his boyfriend, who hits send. Kevin pulls Greg into his lap, who immediately curls and rests his head on his boyfriend’s chest. “What’s wrong baby?” Kevin asks, running his fingers through Greg’s hair.

“What if they hate it?” he whispers. “What if they hate it so much that revoke my acceptance letter and I get stranded in Indiana for the next four years of my life?”   
“Baby, that won’t happen,” he shakes his head, kissing the top of Greg’s gently. “That’s not how that works. Besides, they’re going to love you so much. It really was an amazing video.”   
“You think so?”

“I know so,” he smiles softly, kissing his hair once more again. “Are you feeling alright?”

“I’m exhausted,” Greg admits, burrowing himself closer to Kevin. 

“Get some rest,” he rubs his back. “I’ll be right here when you wake up, and then we can cuddle until all of those worries go away. Okay?”   
“I like that idea,” he says softly, and Kevin grabs a throw blanket to lay over them. “Promise you won’t leave me?”

“I promise. Now, please, get some sleep.”

“Okay… I love you.”

“I love you too.”   
  


_ And IF you go in, should you turn left or right... _

_ or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? _

_ Or go around back and sneak in from behind? _

_ Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find, _

_ for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind. _

“What’s happening?” Nick asks as he climbs into his best friend’s truck the morning of graduation. “Why do you look like you’re going to throw up?”   
“Something happened,” he mumbles, pulling out of the driveway. “Now I don’t know how the fuck I want my life to go.”

“Whoa whoa,” Nick’s concerned now. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“I got a call last night from a modelling agency.”   
“Kevin that’s amazing! I always knew you were gonna be a model, no homo though.”   
He stares at him for a minute before putting his eyes back on the road. “Two things. One, there was definitely some homo there. Two, I don’t know if this is a good thing or not.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s in San Francisco,” he groans as they pull into the Greene’s driveway. “Which means I’ll be on the opposite side of the country from Greg.”

“So? Y’all have been through hell together, I’m sure that you can survive long distance.”

“What if we can’t?”   
“Look at this way. Emma and Alyssa are going to be that far apart, and they’re like the world’s cutest couple… no offense. If the world’s cutest couple can survive long distance, so can you and Greg. Besides, there’s like FaceTime and texting and all that shit now. It’s not like you’ll be far away forever.”

“I guess you’re right,” he sighs. “We should probably get in there. Mrs. Greene doesn’t like it when we’re late, even if it is just final senior breakfast.”

“Yeah,” Nick stares ahead for a minute before turning back to his best friend. “Hey, Kev?”   
“Yeah?”

“Love you,” he smiles. “Thanks for getting me through these four years. I don’t think I could have survived without you.”

“I don’t think I could have either,” Kevin reaches across the middle console to give him an awkward bro hug. “You’re my best friend.”

“You’re my best friend,” Kevin grins. “Now, let’s go get some food. I really don’t want ot get an earful today.”

_ You can get so confused _

_ that you'll start in to race _

_ down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace _

_ and grind on for miles cross weirdish wild space, _

_ headed, I fear, toward a most useless place. _

_ The Waiting Place… _

“Mom, please, for the love of all things good, do not give one of those speeches like you did at the first senior breakfast,” Alyssa begs that morning as she helps her mother set the table. 

“I thought you liked my speeches!”

“When have I ever said that?” Alyssa laughs as the doorbell rings. “I’ll get it, I think it’s Emma.”

Just as predicted, her girlfriend is standing on her front porch, a bouquet of roses in her hands. “Good morning,” she greets, handing the bouquet to Alyssa. “I figured you might need some flowers to brighten your day.”

“You’re an angel,” Alyssa pecks her lips before letting her inside.

“Hi Mrs. Greene,” Emma greets. “Is there anything I can help with?”

“Hi Emma, dear, could you help Alyssa bring these dishes out to the table? I’m trying to finish up the eggs right now.”   
“Yes ma’am,” the blonde smiles and begins helping her girlfriend take all of the dishes to the center of the table. “This all smells amazing, Mrs. Greene.”

“Well thank you,” she grins, and Emma hears a crash as the spoon she had been using falls to the floor. “Oh Christ on a cracker! Alyssa, I’m running to the store, I completely forgot to get the second batch of pancake mix. Can you watch the eggs and get the rest set up?”

“Yes ma’am,” Alyssa responds, replacing her mother at the stove as Mrs. Greene left. 

By the time the two girls had finished setting up, Mrs. Greene was just returning to start the second batch, and all of the seniors were beginning to show up. They were lucky that the Greene’s had such a spacious dining room, because it was looking like most of the class was actually going to show. 

Shelby and Kaylee were the first to arrive, hand in hand with two of the biggest jars of jam Alyssa had ever seen. “Don’t ever tell Mr. G you need jam, because he comes back from Costco with these monstrosities,” Kaylee jokes as she hands it to Alyssa. 

Kevin, Greg, and Nick all show up together, Kevin practically carrying Greg inside to the room. “Someone stayed up too late,” he jokes when Emma raises an eyebrow. “He’s been worrying about that audition video.”

“I feel that,” she sighs. “Greg, if you want the couch is extremely comfy.”

He nods as he and Kevin sit down, and it only takes a few seconds for him to fall asleep on his boyfriend’s chest. Alyssa suppresses a quiet “aw,” before walking back into the kitchen to find her girlfriend and mother talking like they were old friends. “You two seem happy,” she raises an eyebrow as they finally notice her standing there.

“You didn’t tell me that Emma played the violin!”

Emma smiles sheepishly as Alyssa one again raises her eyebrows, looking absolutely lost. “You play the violin?”

“Yeah! I told you I had a little bit of classical training.”   
“You never told me it was violin though,” she closes her eyes, bracing herself for what she knew her mother would say.

“You know, I tried to get Alyssa into violin when she was little, but I guess it never really stuck. We’ll have to talk more about this later,” she stops herself as she sets the last pancake on a plate. “I think it’s about time we start this breakfast.”   
As soon as her mother is out of ear shot, Alyssa grins at her girlfriend. “Am I hallucinating or did you and my mother just have a good conversation?”

“I think we did,” Emma grins, pulling her girlfriend close to her to peck her lips. “Hell, I haven’t picked up my violin to play anything but memes lately, but if it’ll make your mom happy maybe I need to get back into the real stuff.”

“Maybe,” Alyssa smirks, kissing her again. “Alright, let’s go before that food gets cold.”   
  


_ ...for people just waiting. _

_ Waiting for a train to go _

_ or a bus to come, or a plane to go _

_ or the mail to come, or the rain to go _

_ or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow _

_ or the waiting around for a Yes or No _

_ or waiting for their hair to grow. _

_ Everyone is just waiting. _

“Kaylee?”

“They’re not going to come, are they?”

Shelby sighs. “No, they’re not.”

She watches helplessly as her girlfriend’s eyes well up with tears. They were supposed to be taking pictures at Shelby’s house in their graduation gowns before the ceremony, but everything had come to a screeching halt when Kaylee’s parents had called. They weren’t coming to the ceremony, in fact they weren’t going to be in town at all. They had taken off the day before, and they had completely forgotten about their only daughter. “Hey, hey,” Shelby pulls her close to her, trying to stop the way she was shaking. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

“I should have known,” she says, and her voice is so soft that Shelby barely catches it.

“Baby, no you shouldn’t have,” she soothes, smoothing out her hair and rubbing her back. “They’re asshole, and it isn’t your job to know when they’re going to be jerks.”   
As Kaylee begins to cry again, Emma and Alyssa pull up in Emma’s truck, with Mrs. Greene following behind them in her car. She watches the two girls get out, and almost immediately Alyssa is by her side. “What’s going on?”

“Her parents aren’t coming,” Shelby sighs, kissing the top of her girlfriend’s head again. “It’s kind of just setting in.”   
“I know someone who can help with that,” and as she says that Shelby shifts so that Kaylee is facing Alyssa. “Hey Kay, can you come with me for a second?”

Kaylee nods, and Shelby lets go of her while Alyssa wraps an arm around her shoulders. She leads her over to where Emma is standing, talking to Kevin about her cousin’s audition video and how good he thought it was. As soon as the blonde sees Alyssa with Kaylee tucked into her side, she knows something has to be up. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“I think Kaylee should talk to you about something,” Alyssa gently pushes the girl forward, and immediately Emma finds herself with an armful of the girl who used to be her best friend. “I think you’ll get it better than Shelby and I do.”

It takes her a minute, but Emma finally seems to understand, and she walks inside with Kaylee. Alyssa walks back over to Shelby, who doesn’t take her eyes off of the girl until she’s inside the house. “You think they’ll be able to talk?”

“I know they will,” Alyssa smiles, throwing an arm around her friend. “We have the dead parents club, and they have the left parents club. We’re all a little fucked up, huh?”

Shelby laughs a little. “That’s one way to put it.”

_ Waiting for the fish to bite _

_ or waiting for the wind to fly a kite _

_ or waiting around for Friday night _

_ or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake _

_ or a pot to boil, or a Better Break _

_ or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants _

_ or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. _

_ Everyone is just waiting. _

“What’s going on, Kay?” Emma asks softly as the two of them sit on Shelby’s bed. This was the only place in the house where Emma knew that no one would bother them.

“They’re not coming,” she sniffles, the tears from earlier finally calming to only a few trickling down. “I don’t know why I thought that they were going to, but now that I know they arent it-”

‘Hurts?” Emma guesses, and she sighs as she sees Kaylee nod. “I know that feeling?”   
“I thought you hated your parents.”

“I do,” Emma shrugs. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t miss them being my parents. Even though they sucked and did a lot of awful things, I still have good memories attached to them.”

“That makes sense,” Kaylee sighs, and Emma pulls her in for a hug. 

“Listen,” she says softly. “I know this sucks, and I know that we haven’t been friends for a long time now, but you can always come to me for things like this. Or Greg even! He’s really good at talking about this shit too. Us broken home kids have to stick together.”

“You mean it?” Kaylee asks, pulling away so she can look into the blonde’s eyes.

“Of course,” Emma smiles at her, and the other girl can’t help but smile at her too. “Now, let’s get back out there before they start freaking out.”

Kaylee nods, and Emma links their arms together as they walk towards the door. As they walk, Emma can’t help but let one thought cross her mind. Maybe this was home. Her and her friends coming together in a way that none of them had imagined. None of them had perfect families, but they had each other. They could be each other’s home.

_ NO! _

_ That's not for you! _

_ Somehow you'll escape _

_ all that waiting and staying _

_ You'll find the bright places _

_ where Boom Bands are playing. _

“Emma!” Greg screams as his cousin walks back outside. “They emailed me back! They loved it! I’m gonna get to go in for an in person audition as soon as we get to New York!”   
“Hell yeah!” she wraps him in her arms. “Have you told Trent?”

“No, he just got here,” Greg grins as they pull apart. “Speaking of which, Gram wants pictures of us, so we should probably get going. The Broadway crew just got here.”

“Where are my baby gays!” Barry yells as Emma and Greg begin walking towards them.

“Dad!” Emma screams as she runs straight into his arms. “I missed you.”

“Honey, you saw me this morning,” he jokes, but hugs her tight to him.

“I know, but I still missed you,” she pouts, and he grins as he smooths out her wild curls.

“I missed you too, my little lesbian.”

“Alright you two, picture time!” Betsy yells, and Emma recognizes it instantly as her drill sergeant voice. She had only heard it a couple times since moving in, mostly with spring cleaning and the one time she had brought a girl home to meet the kids. Emma knows that when her grandmother takes that tone that she means business.

Grabbing Barry’s hand, she tugs him towards where the rest of her family is standing. Betsy takes a few pictures of the two of them, then a few of Trent and Greg, and then the four of them together. Finally, she takes one of the entire Broadway gang with Emma and Greg and decides that she’s had enough. “Wait!” Barry calls as she begins to put her camera away. “What about you? Certainly we have to have some photos with you!”

“Oh no honey, I don’t like pictures-”

“Nonsense!” he insists. “If I’m calling you Mom then you have to be in the family photo.”   
Betsy smiles warmly at him, and Emma calls over Shelby to take their picture. After they’ve taken their family photo, Trent insists on getting a picture with all of the kids, and they’re all equally excited for it too. By the time that picture is done, all of the kids are itching to get down to the school for the ceremony. “Here we go,” Emma says as they climb into the truck.

“We haven’t even graduated yet,” Alyssa laughs, leaning over to peck her lips. “But I like your enthusiasm.”   
Emma grins, and she puts her truck into drive. It was the beginning of the end.

_ With banner flip-flapping, _

_ once more you'll ride high! _

_ Ready for anything under the sky. _

_ Ready because you're that kind of a guy! _

“Wanna go for a walk?” Shelby asks as she holds her hand out to her girlfriend.

They were putting last minute touches on their graduation outfits when she had the overwhelming urge to walk around her campus one last time. “Sure,” Kaylee responds, taking her hand and tucking herself into her side as they walked out the door.

Shelby walks with her over to the locker rooms, the first place they had ever had the courage to be themselves. “This was where we first kissed,” Kaylee comments, pulling Shelby in to peck her lips. “It’s like it was yesterday.”

_ _ _ It had been two days since the prom. Nationals were right around the corner, and Kaylee ad Shelby had stayed late to help Alyssa clean up the gym. Now she was gone, and the two of them were sitting on the floor after changing. “Hey, Shelbs?” Kaylee had asked, eyes wondering from her bag to the girl next to her.  _

_ _ _ “Yeah?” _

_ _ _ “You know how Emma and Alyssa are so in love?” _

_ _ _ “Uh huh?” she raises an eyebrow. “Why are you shaking?” _ _   
_ _ _ _ “I was looking up some stuff,” she says those words together so quickly that Shelby barely catches them. “And I found something. There’s this thing, it’s called being bi.” _

_ _ _ “Yeah honey, that’s when you like both.” _

_ _ _ “Right,” she laughs nervously. “I should have known you would have known it already.” _

_ _ _ “Kaylee, what’s this all about?” _

_ _ _ “What would you do if I told you I thought that I was bi?” _

_ _ _ Shelby paused for a second, and Kaylee felt her heart stop. She was going to hate her, she was going to leave her the same way that she had left Emma two years prior. This was the end of her and her best friend. After Shelby doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, Kaylee tries to speak up again. “Well, how do you feel about it?” _

_ _ _ Suddenly, she feels Shelby’s soft lips against her own, and she squeaks a little in surprise. Shelby pulls back as soon as she does, and she smiles softly. “Does that answer your question?” _

“I thought you were going to hate me,” Kaylee shakes her head. “I’m so glad I was wrong.”

“I’m glad you were too,” Shelby kisses the top of her head again. “You feeling okay? You’ve been really quiet.”

“It’s just kind of setting in,” she shrugs, and the two of them decide to sit on the bench, the same one they had sat on that day. “We were all finally becoming good friends, and now everyone’s going off. Do you think we’re going to survive?”

“I don’t know,” Shelby sighs, laying her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder. “Sometimes friends stay together, sometimes they don’t. All I can tell you is that we’re gonna fight hella hard for it.”

“You’re right,” Kaylee lays her head on top of Shelby’s. “We should probably get going, they’re gonna come looking for us soon.”

“Wait, hold on,” the darker girl sits up, staring into her girlfriend’s eyes. Before Kaylee knows it, the space between their lips is nonexistent, and everything is okay. 

That’s when she realizes it. Home doesn’t have to be a place, or a thing, or something material. This is home. Shelby is home. Their bodies pressed against each other and the feeling that maybe everything isn’t okay, but we’re going to fight until it is, that’s home.

_ Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done! _

_ There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. _

_ And the magical things you can do with that ball _

_ will make you the winning-est winner of all. _

_ Fame! You'll be as famous as famous can be, _

_ with the whole wide world watching you win on TV. _

“Hey, can we take a walk?” Emma asks as Alyssa messes with her hair for the fifth time since they had gotten there.

“Sure!” she turns and smiles at her. “Are my chords straight?”

“Straighter than me.”

She can’t help the laugh that escapes her lips as she takes Emma’s hand. “Where are we going?” she asks, allowing her girlfriend to lead the way.

“You’ll see,” Emma responds as they approach the school. 

She seems relieved when the door is unlocked, and she continues to lead Alyssa down the halls until they finally reach a very familiar room. “Are you serious?” Alyssa questions as Emma pulls out some keys from her pocket. “Where the hell did you even get those?”

“Trent has them,” she gets the door open and grins. 

Alyssa’s breath catches in her throat as Emma turns the lights on, and she can suddenly see every single memory from high school that they had ever made together. This had been where they met, and where their lives had changed forever.

_ _ _ “Hello?” Emma had heard sniffling when she opened the door, which was unusual because she was normally the only person eating lunch in the band closet. _

_ _ _ “Oh shit,” a familiar voice had filled her ears, and she looked towards it to find Alyssa Greene curled up in a corner, knees to her chest with tears streaming down her face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know someone came in her, I can leave-” _

_ _ _ “No, stay,” she didn’t mean for her voice to sound that desperate, but it did. _

_ _ _ Maybe it was because she wanted a friend, or maybe it was the fact that this was Alyssa Greene. Alyssa Greene was the top of the school, on track to be valedictorian once they became seniors, the junior captain of the cheer squad, and arguably the most popular junior at James Madison High School. Every guy wanted to date her and every girl wanted to be her. _

_ _ _ Well, almost every girl. _

_ _ _ Perhaps it was the fact that Emma had been hopelessly in love with this girl since their first experiment of junior year, when she had managed to blow up peanut brittle in what was supposed to be the easiest lab of the year. Emma had given her one of her extra hoodies to wear, and she was honestly surprised that she had worn it in the first place.  _

_ _ _ “Are you the peanut brittle girl?” she asks, unable to stop herself before the words come tumbling out of her mouth like a rock slide. _

_ _ _ “Yeah,” she laughs a little as she sniffles. “Oh fuck. You’re the one who gave me that sweatshirt weren’t you?” _

_ _ _ “I was,” Emma smiles, sitting on one of the boxes in front of her. _

_ _ _ “I can bring it back to you if you want, I honestly had forgotten about it being yours.” _

_ _ _ “Don’t worry about it,” the blonde smiles warmly. “I have like a thousand hoodies.” _ _   
_ _ _ _ “You’re Emma, right?” _

_ _ _ She’s taken a back for a minute because she wasn’t expecting Alyssa to know her name. “I am... how did you know that?” _

_ _ _ “Oh um, you played at the Thanksgiving Showcase. I really liked your song.” _

_ _ _ “Oh,” Emma takes a sip of her water bottle. “So what are you doing in the band closet? I’m normally the only one in here.” _

_ _ _ “I got into a fight with my friends,” Alyssa sniffles, pulling her knees back up to her chest. “I didn’t want to look at them at lunch.” _ _   
_ _ _ _ “What’d y’all fight about?” she laughs a little. “It kinda feels like you guys are perfect, like you never have problems.” _

_ _ _ “It was you,” she whispers, and Emma barely catches it. _

_ _ _ “What do you mean?” _ _   
_ _ _ _ “I said we should invite you to sit with us, because I kind of knew you didn’t have a place to sit, and they said no. We got into a huge fight.” _

_ _ _ “Oh. Well, you’re always welcome to eat lunch in here.” _

_ _ _ “I’d like that,” she smiles softly.  _

_ _ _ Emma got off of her box before sitting next to the dark haired girl, holding her bag out towards her. “Want a cookie? I brought extras.” _

“I didn’t realize that was going to be the beginning of the best thing that ever happened to me,” Emma grins, pulling Alyssa close to her to kiss her. “There’s our spot right there, the first time I ever gave you a cookie.”

“You brought me cookies every Thursday,” Alyssa smiles softly, kissing her again. “I looked forward to each and every one.”

“This was our place,” Emma sighs, leaning up against the wall. “Every Thursday until we finally started sitting together after prom. I can’t believe this is the last time we’ll ever be in it.”

“We’ll find a new band closet,” Alyssa promises, hugging Emma close to her so she can lay her head on her shoulder. “Maybe not literally, but we’ll find our metaphorical band closet. No matter what or where it is, it doesn’t matter as long as we’re together.”

“This place has been my home for the past four years,” she sighs again, refusing to let go of Alyssa. “But I think it’s time to move on. I think I found a new home?”

“Yeah? Where?”

“With you.”

Alyssa grins as she holds out her hand towards her girlfriend. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Emma smiles back at her, taking her hand and taking a deep breath. “Here’s to the start of forever.”

“I’ll spend forever with you,” the brunette smiles, planting a kiss on her cheek.

Hand in hand they walk out of the band closet, and Emma shuts the lights off one last time. She closes the door behind them, locks it up like she promised Trent she would, and she says goodbye to that part of her life. Her band closet had been her refuge, her home, but she didn’t need it anymore. She had a new refuge for when the days got tough.

This refuge had dark brown hair and darker skin, with brown orbs that could see right through any excuse she made for being tired. Her home was this overexcited puppy of a person, who was skipping down the hallway while holding her hand. Maybe she didn’t have the band closet anymore, but she had the best thing to ever come out of it.

She had her home.

_ Except when they don't _

_ Because, sometimes they won't. _

_ I'm afraid that some times _

_ you'll play lonely games too. _

_ Games you can't win _

_ 'cause you'll play against you. _

“What’s going on with you dude?” Nick asks as he watches his best friend pace around the room they had been getting dressed in.

“Ihaven’ttoldgregaboutthemodellingthing,” he mutters, refusing to look up from the ground.

“You’re gonna have to speak up dude, I didn’t catch any of that.”

“I haven’t told Greg about the modelling thing!” he almost shouts, and Nick is taken aback at his best friend’s sudden assertiveness.

“Whoa, okay,” he puts his hands on his shoulders. “Chill, didn’t you like just find out this morning?”

“Yeah, but if I go I have to leave in a week,” he says, and that’s when Nick sees the tears running down his face. “I have to leave him and everything behind in a week, and I don’t know if I can do it. We had this whole summer planned out, but if I take this job I ruin everything.”

“Dude, you do not ruin everything,” Nick reassures him, leading him to sit down in one of the chairs. “You need to take a deep breath.”

Kevin does as he’s told before looking up at his best friend again. “Good,” he smiles. “Now, talk to me about this modelling job. Is this what you want to do for the rest of your life?”

“Well, yeah,” he smiles a little, and Nick can see this look in his eyes like he’s watching all of his dreams come true.

“Then go-”

“But-”

“No buts,” Nick puts his hand on his shoulder, and his best friend finally looks him in the eye. “This is your dream, Kev, and you can’t throw it away. You and Greg will figure out a way to make it work, and if you don’t then maybe it wasn’t meant to be in the first place. What’s that thing our moms always said before we started school?”

“If you love something let it go?”

“Exactly,” Nick grins at him. “You guys need to let go so that you can both follow your dreams, but if you come back to each other it’s meant to be. This is gonna test the strength of your relationship, but I think it’ll make you stronger in the end.”

“That’s actually… really good advice. Thanks Nick,” Kevin stands up so he can hug him.

“You’re welcome,” he hugs him back. “Now go tell Greg before you have another panic attack about not telling him.”

_ All Alone! _

_ Whether you like it or not, _

_ Alone will be something _

_ you'll be quite a lot. _

_ And when you're alone, there's a very good chance _

_ you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. _

_ There are some, down the road between hither and yon, _

_ that can scare you so much you won't want to go on. _

“Hey, G,” Kevin smiles as his boyfriend enters the rom again. “Can we talk?”   
“Uh, yeah,” Greg faces him and raises an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”

“I’m not going to Notre Dame in the fall.”

“You’re not?” Greg can’t help it when his eyes bug out. “Why not? I thought you and Nick were gonna be roommates and shit.”

“We were,” he sighs, thinking over his words carefully. “But then something else came up. I got a call from that modelling agency in California.”

“Oh, whoa,” he grins. “That’s awesome Kev! That’s like your dream!”

“It is,” he looks down, now terrified to meet Greg’s eyes. “But there’s a catch.”

“What catch?”

“I have to leave in a week.”

There’s a moment of silence. “Oh.”   
That moment turns into a full minute, where both of the boys just stare at each other, unable to figure out the right words to say. “Go,” Greg finally says, and Kevin looks up to see him smiling. “This is your dream, Kev, you have to go. There’s no telling when you’d get this kind of opportunity again.”

“Are you serious?” Kevin asks, and when he sees his grin only grow wider he knows. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Greg says softly, before inching closer to him and closing the gap between their lips. “Wait, does that mean I can officially say I’m dating a model?”

The younger boy laughs a little. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

“Hell yeah!”

Kevin can’t help laughing, and Greg laughs with him. For that moment, in that little classroom they had been changing in, everything is perfect. They’re together, their dreams are coming true, and nothing in the world can change the way they feel about each other.

_ But on you will go _

_ though the weather be foul. _

_ On you will go _

_ though your enemies prowl. _

_ On you will go _

_ though the Hakken-Kraks howl. _

_ Onward up many _

_ a frightening creek, _

_ though your arms may get sore _

_ and your sneakers may leak. _

_ _ “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, parents, students, teachers,” Mr. Hawkins begins his speech as the ceremony begins. “Today marks a very important day in our lives, for today we are saying goodbye to one of the best graduating classes this school has ever seen. This class can truly say that they changed each other and us forever, and that they taught us life lessons we will never forget. To start the night off, we’re going to hear from our salutatorian, Miss Shelby Gonzales.”

The crowd cheers as Shelby walks up to the podium, giving Mr. Hawkins a hug before she begins adjusting the microphone. “Hi,” she smiles at the crowd, before taking a deep breath. “For those of you who don’t know me, my name’s Shelby. I’ve been a student at James Madison High School since my freshmen year. I can honestly say that I’ve changed a lot since starting here, but I really don’t want to talk about me right now. Instead, I’d like to talk to you about the way that this class has changed me.”

“I’ve known most of these kids my whole life, or at least long enough to feel like it’s been my whole life. Our valedictorian, Alyssa, has been there for me since the day my mom passed away. We’ve been inseparable since then. Others, however, I’ve only had the pleasure of getting to know recently. Specifically, I’d like to tell you about the way that Emma Nolan changed me, and the rest of us forever.”

“I won’t sugar coat it,” she sighs. “We were horrible to her. From the moment she came out our sophomore year, we had been the biggest jerks you could think of. We did horrible things to her everyday, and I’m ashamed to say that I actively participated in those things. We made her life a living nightmare.”

“This year, though, something changed. Towards the end of the year these really amazing people burst into our lives and made us see how horrible we were being. They made us realize that Emma wasn’t the problem, the administration and the parents that had been pitting us against each other were. We all had to take a long look at ourselves and realize that there was nothing different between us and Emma.”

“In fact, me and Emma had a lot more in common than I thought,” she takes a deep breath, turning to look behind at Kaylee, who grins and gives her a thumbs up. “It was only a few days after our real prom that I realized the feelings I had been repressing for a long time. Kaylee, can you come here a second?”

Her girlfriend smiles as she stands up and walks towards her. “This is Kaylee Klein,” Shelby announces, wrapping an arm around her waist. “She’s an honor graduate, co-captain of the cheer squad, and the best girlfriend that anyone could ask for.”

The room is a deadly sort of quiet for a few seconds. Then, without really thinking, Emma stands up and begins to clap, then Alyssa, then the rest of the senior class. Shelby looks back at them with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, when she hears someone cheer from the audience. She turns back around to find her dad, standing in a sea of people, cheering her on just like he always had. The rest of the parents begin to follow him, and soon there’s a steady round of applause going for her. “Never doubt that you can change lives, guys,” she says into the microphone, squeezing Kaylee’s hand. “You’ve all seriously changed mine. Thank you.”

The crowd erupts again as Shelby and Kaylee return to their seats, and Mr. Hawkins grins as he approaches the microphone. “That was beautiful, Shelby,” he smiles, wiping a tear from his eye. “Now, we’re going to hear from our valedictorian, Miss Alyssa Greene.

_ On and on you will hike, _

_ And I know you'll hike far _

_ and face up to your problems _

_ whatever they are. _

“God, I don’t know how to follow that, Shelbs,” Alyssa laughs a little as she adjusts the microphone. “Hi. My name’s Alyssa, and most of you know me as the girlfriend Emma Nolan kept a secret for a year and a half.” 

The audience laughs, and Alyssa smiles as she continues. “I had a lot of trouble figuring out what to say for this. I wanted to talk about how all of you have changed me, but I also knew that it would probably already be talked about. So, today, guys, I want to talk to you about the way that we can change the world.”

“This world is still a scary place to live when you’re like me. Things have gotten a lot better, but there’s still so much left to do. This town is a better place because we came together and changed it, and I think the world could one day be like that too. If the world could be as open to change as we were, it would be an amazing place to live.”

“There was a time when all of us would have booed Shelby as she just did the bravest thing in the world. We know, because we did. We were awful to Emma when she came out, even I was at first. However, we came to realize that what we were doing was wrong in so many ways. We’ve grown so much.”

“My dad passed away when I was younger, but I know that right now he’s looking down at us and he’s smiling. He’s so proud of me and of all of us for changing the way we think. Shelby,” she turns around to glance at her best friend. “I know that your mom is doing the exact same thing.”

“The thing about changing the world, though, is that it doesn’t happen all at once. The day those Broadway stars crashed into our lives, and our PTA meeting, certainly wasn’t the day that we changed our minds, but it was the beginning. Maybe we won’t be here to see the change that it has on this community, or the world, but we will be the spark that begins the revolution. So please, if I can say anything to you guys, it’s that you need to continue to be a spark that brings light to a very dark world. We are all responsible for what comes next, and I hope that each and every one of you makes the right choice. Stand up for those who need it the most.”   
Alyssa took a deep breath before continuing. “I kept trying to figure out the right way to say this, but I didn’t find the right words until I was laying down with Emma and she was reading to me. This book was one of my favorites when I was five, and it’s words still hold a true meaning today.”

_ “You'll get mixed up, of course, _

_ as you already know. _

_ You'll get mixed up  _

_ with many strange birds as you go. _

_ So be sure when you step. _

_ Step with care and great tact _

_ and remember that Life's  _

_ a Great Balancing Act. _

_ Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. _

_ And never mix up your right foot with your left. _

_ And will you succeed? _

_ Yes! You will, indeed! _

_ (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.) _

_ GUYS, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS! _

_ So... _

_ be your name Kevin or Emma or Kay _

_ Or Winnie, Nick, Greg, Shelby, or Jess Monae, _

_ You're off the Great Places! _

_ Today is your day! _

_ Your mountain is waiting. _

_ So...get on your way!” _

The crowd erupts into cheers as tears fall down Alyssa’s face. “We left a spark, guys, and it’s up to us to keep leaving them. I believe in you, everyone here does too. This may be the end of an era, but it is also the start of forever. It’s the start of a better tomorrow, a future that is brighter because we are in it. Our time may be over, but our legacy will live on forever. Now, I leave you with one final Dr. Seuss quote before we get our diplomas. ‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smiled because it happened.’ Goodnight.”


End file.
